Fallout 3

The start of this game is amazing, you just wanna get out there and start exploring the wasteland, and when you do it's great!
I spent a loonnggg time playing fallout 1 and 2, they're my favourite games of all time, so I was over-the-moon with joy when I started playing this. However...

The ending is disgraceful. All they did was take bits and bobs from the fallout 1 and 2 storyline and added a little twist to it. The ending is painful, it literally ends and leaves you thinking "what the hell happened? is that the end?".
The game is too easy to complete, even on the hardest difficulty settings.

If you like the look of this game, get it, but in my opinion, stick to fallout 1 and 2. They're still the kings of PC RPG.

P.S. You can get fallout 1 and 2 AND fallout tactics for just £6 here, and that will last you a lot longer than this game will!

This game should have 5 stars. The blend of rpg stats and fps combat works very well. VATS provides a good bridge between turn-based combat and full fps. The questlines are involved and interesting. There is an incredibly detailed wasteland to explore.

However the ending just didn't live up to the game, none of my major decisions except for the ones I made right at the end seemed to make any difference to the ending movie (which is really a slideshow with a voiceover) and it didn't make much sense considering who I was with leaving a gaping plot-hole as an excuse.

This can be easily avoided by staying away from the main questline until you absolutely have to.

Overall a must buy game but with a flaw I find hard to ignore considering the reputation of the series.

Fallout 3 is deffinetly somthing different. Like most of my reviews i'll list the good and bad points to keep it simple =D.

Good Points -

-The system requirements are brilliant considering the graphics.
- The gameplay and combat system is very well thought out and the VATS mode adds a very nice bloody touch :)
- The quests are very well thought out and the story line is really good
- You get to decide to be good, neutral or evil which also has effects on the game.
- There are a few additonal non-official downloadable mods which can add items, quests or modify the scenario in the game (like oblivion).
- You can train and customise your character the way you want to.
- You can get allies to fight with, Dogmeat for example.
- There are lots of areas to explore which can take 2-3 weeks to explore them all.

Bad Points
- There are a lack of quests even with the expansion packs
- The map isn't very large
- There are a decent amount of items but i think there should be more.

Overall Fallout 3 is a must play game

Well, not having played any of the previous of the other Fallout games, this game impressed me. This is not due to spectacular graphics (graphics are okay, i've seen better) but how the game makes you feel when playing it. It certainly does look and feel like a nuclear war has come and gone and you and everybody else really ARE struggling to survive. The landscape in general says it all. I would say Fallout 3 is sort of a cross between that new Bioshock in terms of time period i.e the 1950s and the goals of S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chenobyl. The music is similar to Bioshock but the scenery is like that in STALKER, so if you like these two games, you are more than likely to like this.
Starting out is difficult, you really are scratching a living, scrounging weapons, armour and food from fallen enemies and derelict places. The enemies you fight are quite smart too, they will hide and flank you! Some underground levels are scary as well (go on, play it in the dark!). This game is massive in scale and there are loads of places to explore, though it doesn't match up to FarCry 2 which i have also finished, the frame rate is better. I know which one i prefer. Now i turn to the less favourable points about the game: it will sometimes crash to desktop, but thats only after playing for hours, so i can live with that. Why is the era stuck in the 1950s, it just seems a bit strange. I would have thought that this game could have been more futurisic with weapons slightly below that of Crysis and have REMNANTS of the past all around maybe. Many people have asked this question in forums and the answers are there. I don't agree with it, but hey ho. Also, the ending is rather disappointing considering this is a great game that will keep you firmly sat down and you will forget to eat and go to the loo! :) Reason being that the ending kinda follows too rigid a structure and the choice of it may not be to your typical (happy ending) liking. Here's a hint, finish anything else you want to do before doing the final main mission..... You don't get to go back to playing like in Oblivion: a shame. Come on Bethesda, sort it out!
So if STALKER Clear Sky isn't working (like it is for me), give this a try.

Fallout 1 & 2 were classic RPG games, and despite the violence, humour and gameplay, were always held back by their dated isometric graphics. With Fallout 3 this is certainly not a problem, as it's now fully 3D and looking stunning with a giant apocalyptic world where you're free to roam around and do whatever you please.

Those after a straightforward FPS will probably be disappointed, but for those looking to explore and shape the world through their actions (whether positive or negative) there is much fun to be had here!

While the main quest of the game is fun, it's just as exciting to branch off and find new towns which the main quest doesn't even touch upon. Here you can complete seperate side quests and further your reputation for either good or evil.

The violence and carnage are still present, with limbs and eyeballs flying everywhere, and the typical dark humour still surrounds the game. With a wasteland home to copious amounts of drugs, prostitutes and slavers this certainly isn't a game for the kids!